Will Washington Sundar play the 2026 T20 World Cup? Reports suggest doubts

It was very unfortunate for Washington Sundar to sustain a lower rib injury right before the ICC T20 Men's World Cup starting on February 07. He even missed the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand. And his return in the World Cup from the very first match is reportedly doubtful.

Washington is currently having a rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE). A report from the Times of India reported that Washington has already started batting. But he is timid. Washington has batted for 30 minutes. But the tenderness at the rib is still persistent. 

 

The report further added that the current situation is hypothetically ruling out Washington Sundar from the tournament opener. Notably, India will be playing against the USA on February 7 at Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai. Adding to this, Washington's return for the remainder of the matches is not certain.

 

Will BCCI announce a replacement for Washington Sundar?

 

Despite the dark clouds, BCCI seems hopeful. Rather, BCCI is willing to wait for Washington to come back fit. Reports suggested the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, and captain, Suryakumar Yadav, are stressing an off-spinner.

 

This was the reason why India named Ravi Bishnoi in the T20I squad against New Zealand. Bishnoi even played a match in the series of five matches. However, BCCI has not made it clear if he will continue to the World Cup or not.

 

At this point, BCCI is seriously counting on Washi rather than making a hurried decision regarding his replacements. The Times of India quoted a BCCI source saying,

 

“There are still over 15 days for India’s match vs Pakistan in the World Cup. Sundar is very much in the mix and the plans as of now, and a call will only be taken when there is no possibility of return. He was picked for the matchups vs left-handers, and that is why Ravi Bishnoi has been tried. There aren’t many options of off-spinners and bowling all-rounders available at the moment."

 

Read also: When will Yashasvi Jaiswal return to competitive cricket?

 

What happened to Washington Sundar?

 

Notably, Washington sustained the injury in the first ODI of the ongoing New Zealand tour. He walked out after bowling 5 overs, reporting discomfort in his lower rib. Even though he came back to bat, he was eventually ruled out from the entire tour. 

 

 Later, reports confirmed that he was diagnosed with a side strain, and follow-up assessments indicated a mild fracture in his rib area

 

India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK)